Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Last Saturday Was A Very Good Day

This past Saturday was one of those days in my Masonic life that I will never forget.

Saturday morning was the installation of the new officers for my mother lodge, Broad Ripple Lodge No. 643. I remain as proud as I can be of this lodge, especially when I remember that this lodge was ready to vote to close and move away from this unique village within Indianapolis just nine years ago. Congratulations to Worshipful Master Matthew Davis and his officers. I am honored to serve again as a trustee for my lodge.

The annual dinner is held for the purpose of recognizing contributors to the Newby-Avery Foundation, which was originally formed to raise money for the permanent fund of the Grand Commandery of Indiana. The event is also an opportunity to make other awards of merit and appreciation to individual Knights Templar from around Indiana.

I had the distinct and humbling honor of standing with three other outstanding Indiana Freemasons this particular evening: Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Indiana, Charles Marlowe; Indiana's Right Eminent Grand Commander, Larry W. Brown; the editor of Indiana's Knight Templar Magazine supplement, former Grand Prelate, Edward L. Sebring; and myself. The four of us were invested with the rank and dignity of Knight Commander of the Temple by order of Most Eminent Grand Master William H. Koon II of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the USA, and conferred by Indiana's own Duane L. Vaught, Right Eminent Grand Captain General of the Grand Encampment.

Knight Commander of the Temple (abbreviated KCT) is the second highest decoration of the Grand Encampment, and was adopted in the 1991-1994 Triennium. It is a beautiful jewel, and one I will be proud to wear the rest of my life. I am humbled and a little bewildered to be honored with these august gentlemen and Sir Knights who have toiled far longer than I in the service of the Masonic Knights Templar. My deepest and fondest thanks go to those who felt I was worthy of such an honor. It was an evening I will not soon forget, and was especially happy to share it with so many friends whom I admire.

When conferred, it is explained that it does not mean that your work is done, but that it also stands for the work you are expected to do in future for the Knights Templar, as well. I hope to earn it every day.

The same Saturday was a scheduling nightmare, and I had to miss the installation of Raper Commandery No. 1, where I have again been asked to serve as Sword Bearer, in spite of my infrequent attendance. My friend and brother Carson Smith served last year as both Master of Indianapolis' Century Lodge No. 764 and Eminent Commander of Raper Commandery No. 1. Stepping into his Templar position is Jim Dillman, with whom I am proud to serve on the Indianapolis Masonic Temple Board. At Century Lodge, the new Master is Bob Rini, who also participates with the Temple Board, and has brought new theatre productions to the Freemasons' Hall stage.

I would have known none of these fine gentlemen I spent my Saturday with had it not been for membership in this fraternity, and I am proud to call each of them my friend and brother. The dedicated work of all of these brethren means another great year for Indiana Freemasonry in 2010.

ATTENTION!Kindly sign your comment posts. Anonymous postings on Masonic topics have the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned, and may be deleted if I don't recognize you or if I'm in a grumpy mood.

A mythic past. A visionary future. A legendary brotherhood.

Freemasonry is the world's largest, oldest and best-known gentleman's fraternity. It is based on the medieval stonemason guilds who built the great castles and cathedrals of Europe. Modern Freemasons likewise use the tools, traditions and terminology of those earlier stonemasons as allegories for building Temples in the hearts of men.

It's said that we are a secret society. We do indeed have secrets—secrets that each individual man has to discover for and about himself.

At its core, Freemasonry is simply an attempt to make the world a better place, one man at a time. For that man, it can become as simple or as complicated as he himself desires. It's not for everybody. Maybe it's for you.

"Brother Chris Hodapp's [blog]...is thought provoking and is often the first place on the web where new ideas and matters of interest are posted."

He received his college education at Indiana University, the University of Southern California, Los Angeles Valley College, California State University at Northridge, and Indiana/Purdue University at Indianapolis.

Chris spent twenty-three years in advertising as a commercial filmmaker for Dean Crow Productions, shooting and editing close to 1,000 commercials, music videos and feature films. He has written scripts for corporate and non-profit clients, and his voice has appeared in countless television and radio commercials.

He was the editor and a contributor in 2004-5 to "Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith"by the Knights of the North, a Masonic leadership think-tank focussing on modern lodge solutions. He has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Masonic Magazine, Templar History, the Scottish Rite Journal, the Knight Templar Magazine, the Indiana Freemason , the Phylaxis, and numerous other publications.

Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon developed episode outlines for the History Channel program, Brad Meltzer's Decoded in 2010, and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for TruTV and the American Heroes Channel. They have both appeared on National Public Radio, the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel - most recently in 2017 on America: Facts vs Fiction.

He and Alice live in Indianapolis with their very French poodle, Wiley.

I am a Freemason and a member of both the regular, recognized Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM and the United Grand Lodge of England. However, unless otherwise attributed, the opinions expressed in this blog are my own, or of others expressing theirs by posting comments. I do not in any way represent the official positions of my lodges or Grand Lodges, any associated organization of which I may or may not be a member, or the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

Be aware that no one person may speak on behalf of Freemasonry or present their opinion as being the "official" position of the fraternity, unless it is a grand master, and then, only within his own jurisdiction. While Freemasonry is a global fraternal organization, there is no single, authoritative, administrative Masonic body or figurehead anywhere in the world.

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